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(No Model.)

G. BROWNSTYEIN.

TOBAQOO SWEATER.

- Patented Apr 29,1884.

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V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GEORGE BROWVNSTEIII, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

TOBACCO- SWEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 297,668, dated April29, 1884:. 7

Application filed September 7, 1883. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern; 7

Be it known that I, GEORGE BRowNsrEIN,

of the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, haveinvented an Improvement in Tobacco-Sweaters; and I hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof;

My invention relates to that class of tobacco curing or treatingmachines known as tobacco sweaters, and more particularly to thatsub-class in which the tobacco is contained within a close steam-tightand water-tight vessel which is surrounded by a steam or water jacket. 1

My invention consists in the combination of devices hereinafterexplained and claimed, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 represents a vertical section of my sweater.V band water-troughs, the covers being removed.

In machines or devices of this class greatcare must be taken to preventthe water or steam by which the inner vessel is surrounded from gettingin to the tobacco, as such an acci- 1 dent is now generally held to bedetrimental both to the flavor and color of the article. It isnecessary, rather, to steam it in its own vapors, and for this purposethese vapors should be kept in as well as the steanikept out. Variousdevices are employed to accomplish this result in several machines, thecover being said to be steam-tight; but, as far as I can discover, thisis either not, the fact or means are used differing from those which Ishall explain.

independent of each other, the innermost being used for the tobacco,while the spaces between each are used for thewater or steam.

I construct my machine of a vessel, A, preferably made of galvanizedsheet metal, and

having the spaced walls a a the outer and inner walls, respectively,thus forming a water and steam jacket, 13, and an interior compartment,0, for the tobacco. These walls are either formed integral or ofseparate sheets, and are joined by a diaphragm, b, all around the top.This diaphragm is perforated throughout its extent, in order to permitthe free circulation of the steam, as I shall explain. \Vhen aconsiderable weight of material is in the Fig. 2 is a plan showingdiaphragm Generally these machines consist of two or more concentric ornested vessels compartment 0, it is obvious that the wall a must havesome support, and for this purpose I extend rods D under it and supporttheir ends in the outer Wall, a.

E is a supply-opening, which, having a lid or door, 0, acts also as asafety-valve for the escape of the steam.

-F is the drain-pipe communicating with the water-jacket. i

G is a water-gage by which the level of the Water in the jacket may bedetermined.

H is the inner cover. This cover consists of a plate of sheet metal, theupper surface of which is convexed or inclined downwardly from center orapex to its edge, which is provided with a downwardly-projecting flange,h. Upon the inner wall, a, of vessel A is secured a circumscribingflange, I, forming a trough, z, into which the flange or rim h of coverH projects when said cover is fitted down. This flange I is carried uphigher than the top of the vessel A, and the cover H rests upon it. v

J is the outer cover, having a flat surface and a rim or flange, j. Thisrim fits down over the outer wall, a, of vessel Ain a trough, is, formedby a circumscribing flange, K, which likewise is carried up higher thanthe top of vessel A. The outer coverhas its flange j, made sufficientlylong that when resting in the trough it its top is raised high enoughabove the inner cover to form a space or jacket, B, which communicatesthrough the perforated top or diaphragm b with the jacket B. WVater w isplaced in trough 7a.

L are handles by which the covers may be raised. t

This machine may be placed over a fire or other heating apparatus, ormay have connected with it by suitable pipes a heater or stove.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The covers are removed, andthe tobacco, after being suitably prepared in 'a manner well known tothose skilled in the art, is placed in the interior compartment, 0. Inorder to prevent the scorching of the tobacco, (which I here representby T,) and which'comes in contact with the sides and top of thecompartment, I line the compartment with moistened Havana stems S byplacing them between the exterior of the tobacco mass and the walls ofthe compartment. These stems are waste material otherwise, and having novalue aTdd nothing to the expense of the operation, and yet are anadvantage not only in protecting the outside of the tobacco, but inimparting to \the mass a better flavor. After the tobacco is in place, Iput back the inner cover, H, and pour water 10 into the trough 2'. ThenI put the outer cover in place and pour water in trough It. I thensupply jacket B with water through the supply-hole until it is on abouta level with the top of the water-gage. Then the heat is applied and thewater is raised to the boiling-point and steam generated. The steampasses up through the perforated top I) of the jacket and into thejacket B of the cover, so that the inner compartment 0 is kept wellheated on all sides and the tobacco is sweated. In the circulation ofthe steam it cannot pass the water-seal in trough 17, and thus it isprevented from getting into the compartment where the tobacco is; norcan it escape from the jacket save by the safety-valve, for it cannotpass the water-seal in trough 7.. For a like reason the vapors of thetobacco cannot escape. Thus the cover is rendered steam and vapor tight.

I have an object in making the top of the inner cover, 11, convex orinclined. It is that the trough i may be supplied with water by thecondensation of the steam. The condensed water will run down theinclined top of the cover and into trough i, which is thus renderedself-supplying.

By making the trough-flanges I K higher than the top of the jacket B, Iprevent any overflow of the water-seals, except in a harmless direction.The water in the troughs, if it should rise high enough, would flow overthe jacket-walls into the jacket, and thus neither get in to the tobacconor escape to the outside.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine for sweating tobacco, a metallic vessel having an outerwater-jacketwith perforated top Z), in combination with the removablemetallic covers having a space be- I tween them, forming a steam-jacketover the top of the interior compartment, and communicating with thewater-jacket of the main vessel through the perforated top of thelatter, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for sweating tobacco, the metallic vessel A, having aninterior tobacco-c011- taining compartment, and a surroundingwater-jacket having an inlet and a drain,and the inner and outercircumscribing flanges, I K,at the top of the vessel, forming troughsi70 for a water-seal, in combination with the removable inner and outercovers, II J, having flanges h j, fitting in the water-troughs, andhaving a steam-j acket, B,between them, communicating with the water-jacket of vessel A, substantially as herein described.

3. In a machine forsweating tobacco, the metallic vessel A, having aninterior tobacco-containing compartment, and a surrounding water-jackethaving an inlet and a drain,and the inner circumscribing flange, I, atthe top of the vessel, forming a trough, '1', for awater-seal, incombination with the inner cover, H, having its upper surface slopingfrom center to edge, and a flange, h, fitting the inner water-trough,and the raised outer cover, J, formingbetween itself and the inner covera steam jacket communicating with the water-jacket of vessel A,substantially as herein described.

4. Inamachineforsweatingtobacco, the metallie vessel A,having aninterior tobacco-compartment and asurroundingwater-jacket, and the innerand outer eircumscribing flanges, I K, at the top of the vessel-,andhigher than its upper edge, said flanges forming troughs i k for awater-seal, in combination with the removable inner and outer covers, IIJ, having flanges h j, fitting in the water-troughs, and having asteam-jacket between them, communicating with the water-jacket of vesselA, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE BROWNSTEIN. lVitnesses:

Janus L. KING, War. H. SHARP.

